Electric bus bar construction



May M 1946 1.. w. COLE ET AL.

ELECTRIC BUS BAR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Lows W. (0&5 0w Hmqf TEA/SEA! EMMA QABMWQV- May 14, 1946. L. w. coLE ETAL ELECTRIC BUS BAR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 26, 1943 a lu 5 m T w Wm f AND Z-wszu Arum/5 Patented May 14, 1946 ELECTRIC BUS BAR CONSTRUCTION Louis W. Cole, New York, and Helge Jensen,

Flushing N. Y., assignors to Cole Industries,

1110., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 26, 1943, Serial No. 480,636

Claims.

This invention relates to electric bus bars and more particularly to a three-phase bus bar assembly and construction.

One object of the present invention is the provision of means for securing'the companion bus bars of a three-phase system in predetermined electrical and mechanical relation without requiring the use of a bus duct or casing, the construction and arrangement of the bus bars and the means for holding them inassembled relation being such as to enable the bus bar assembly to be manufactured and s ipped as a unit ready for installation.

Another object is to provide a bus bar assembly which can be used with or without a casing or other enclosure.

A further object is generally to provide a multi phase bus bar assembly of improved construction.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will best be understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l. is a side view in elevation of a bus bar assembly embodying the present invention, illustrating the assembly in installed condition;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, on a larger scale, one of the insulation blocks being shown in section and the others in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view of the bus bar assembly;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an end portion of one of the bus bars and of means for securing one length of bus bar to an adjacent length of bus bar;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View on the line 5-5 of Fig. i;

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view ofthe parts of the bus bar assembly;

Fig. l is a perspective view of a length of the bus bar assembly provided with an enclosure therefor;

Fig. o is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing another term of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is illustrated in Fig. 1 two adjacent end portions of two ions bar assembly unit it electrically connected to each other as indicated at it and installed in a building ready for use, being supported as here more or less diagrammatically illustrated from an overhead beam B or other part of the factory buildins. One of the bus bar assembly units Ill will now be described.

The bus bar assembly Ill embodying the present invention comprises three bus bars ll, each of the same length which, of course, may vary, said bus bars being preferably made of copper. Each bus bar I 4 is formed of flat metal stool: bent to provide the angularly related integral portions id and 18 which extend longitudinally of the companion bus bar for the full length thereof. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the angle defined by the bus bar portions it and Ill is about 120. In the assembled relation of the three bus bars M of the three phases, said bus bars are disposed as illustrated in Fig. 2 in Y configuration with one of the angularly related portions of the bus bar of each phase disposed in adjacent confronting face to face relation with one of the angularly related portions of the bus barof a second phase and with the other angularly related portion of the bus bar of each phase in similar adjacent confronting iace to face relation with an angularly related portion of the bus bar of a third phase. Said confronting portions, while adjacent to each other, are spaced and insulated from each other. Preferably, as here shown, flexible sheets 20 of insulation material are disposed in the spaces between the three bus bars l4. It will be understood that the bus bars of the three phases are thus disposed as close as possible to each other,

while being insulated from each other, so that the impedance of the system is low.

The three bus bars l4 are held in the above described relation by a plurality of holding devices 22 disposed in spaced relation logitudinally of the bus bar assembly unit. Each holding device 22 comprises metal straps M and 26 and three rigid insulation blocks 28 'formed of porcelain or other suitable insulationmaterial. Each block 23 is rigidly ecured'to a, companion bus bar It and more particularly to the angularly related portions it and 18 thereof by means of bolts all the heads of which are received in coun tersunle openings 32 formed in the companion bus bars so that the heads of said bolts lie substautially flush with the surface of the com pauion bus bar portions. Strap it is rigidly secured to two of the insulation blocks 28 by means of companion bolts 3d, and strap 26 is similarly secured to the third insulation block. 223 by a bolt 34!. It will be understood that blocks 2d of each holding device 22 are interchangeable. It will be noted that each insulation block 28 is provided with angularly related fiat portions 36 and 38 which abut'the angularly related portions to and it, respectively, of the companion bus bar, having the same angular relation as said bus bar porto time of the companion bus bar. Also, each-in movable cover N.

sulation block 28 has a flat end portion 40, said end portions 40 of two of the insulation blocks 23 abutting the angularly related portions 42 of strap 24, and the end portion 40 ot the third insulation block 28 abutting the strap 28. Strap 2 is provided with bent end portions 44 which are rigidly secured to the adjacent end portions ll, respectively, of strap 24 in any suitable way as by bolts 48. Also as here shown, brackets ID are secured to each holding device 22, preferably by the bolts ll which secure the ends of strap 26 to the adjacent ends of strap 24. Brackets 50 are provided with holes 52 for bolts by means of which the holding devices 22 can be secured to a beam or other part of the building for supporting the bus bar assembly in its installed condition.

It will be understood that in actual practice a plurality of the bus bar assemblies are electrically connected to each other to form the necessary bus bar length, the connection between two bus bar assembly units being indicated at I! as hereinbefore stated with reierence to Fig. 1 of the drawings. The connection I! comprises two copper or other metal plates 54 for each bus bar ll, said two plates 54 having the same current carrying capacity as the bus bar to which they are secured. Plates 54 are secured to the angularly related portions l6 and I8 of the companion bus bar in any suitable way as by bolts 56, the outer ends of the bus bars having countersunk holes 58 for the heads of said bolts and said plates being provided with holes 60 to receive said bolts. Thus, the necessary length of bus bars can be produced by connecting a plurality of units H) by means of the coupling plates 54, there being three sets of plates for two bus bar units. While the length of each unit may vary, the units are preferably of a standardized length of ten feet in which case the length of each bus bar ll of the unit I is ten feet. The holding devices 22 not only secure the bus bars I! of the unit Ill in predetermined electrical and mechanical relation, but also constitute means for supporting the unit in position.

It will be observed that the bus bar assembly, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is not enclosed in a casing or other enclosure and that the bus bars are accordingly exposed to the ambient atmosphere for the radiation of heat which may be generated in the bus bars by the passage of the current therein. However, it desired, the bus bar assembly units may be enclosed. Thus, as illustrated .in Fig. 7, the bus bar assembly unit i0 is shown provided with an enclosure formed of the U- shaped member or duct 62 provided with a re- Said duct 62 can be secured to the bus bar assembly unit in in any suitable way, for example, by means of screws 66 which fasten duct 62 to the side portions 68 of straps 22. The enclosure can be formed of any suitable material, for example, light sheet metal, expanded metal, etc., or said enclosure can be formed in whole or in part of sheet insulation material. It will be understood that when the enclosure is formed of expanded metal, the bus bar assembly is open to the cooling action of the ambient atmosphere while, at the same time, the enclosure provides a guard for the bus bars.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 8, the bus bar assembly i substantially the same as that described above except that the holding device is of a somewhat difierent construction. More particularly, as here shown, the holding device A comprises two semi-circular straps having outwardly turned flanged portions 12 which may be secured to each other in any suitable'way as by bolts 14. The insulation blocks "A are ofsubstantially the same construction as the insulation blocks 28 and are secured to the com anion bus bars H in the same way, but as here shown, the surface portions "A of the insulation blocks "A, instead of being flat as are the surface portions 40 of the insulation blocks 28, are curved to conform to the curvature of the adjacent portions of strap 10.

It will be understood that various changes may be made in the construction herein shown or described without departing from the principles of this invention. Accordingly, we do not wish to P be limited to the invention as herein illustrated or described except to the extent which may be required by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letter Patent is:

1. A three-phase bus bar assembly unit comprising three bus bars,'each of said bars having longitudinally extending integral angularly related flat portions, said three bus bars in assembled relation being disposed in Y configuration, and a plurality of holding devices disposed in spaced relation longitudinally of the three bus bars for securing them in said assembled relation in said Y configuration, each of said holding devices comprising a plurality of rigid insulation blocks secured individually and directly to said bus bars, respectively, each of said blocks having an inner end thereof provided with angularly related flat surface portions in abutting relation to said angularly related flat portions of the companion bus bar, and means interconnecting said blocks for securing them in fixed relation with respect to each other.

2. A three-phase bus bar assembly unit comprising three bus bars, each of said bars having longitudinally extending angularly related flat portions, said three bus bars in assembled relation being disposed in Y configuration, and a plurality of holding devices disposed in spaced relation longitudinally of the three bus bars for securing them in said assembled relation in said Y configuration, each of said holding devices comprising a plurality of rigid insulation blocks secured individually directly to said bus bars, respectively, each of said blocks having an inner end thereof provided with angularly related flat surface portions in abutting relation to said angularly related flat portionsoi the companion bu bar, and means interconnecting said blocks for securing them in fixed relation with respect to each other, said interconnecting means comprising a U-shaped strap secured to two of said blocks and a strap secured to the third block and having bent end portions secured to adjacent end portions, respectively, of said U-shaped strap, said end portion of said U-shaped strap being in spaced confronting relation and said end portions of the other strap being secured to the confronting surfaces, respectively, of said end portions of said U-shaped strap.

3. A three-phase bus bar assembly unit comprising three bus bars, each of said bars having longitudinally extending angularly related fiat portions, said three bus bars in assembled relation being disposed in Y configuration, a plurality of rigid insulation blocks secured to each of said bus bars, said blocks being spaced longitudinally of the companion bus bar and being disposed in the angle between the angularly related portions thereof each or said blocks having an inner end thereof provided with angularly related flat surface portions in abutting relation to said angularly related flat portions of the companion bus bar, the blocks which are secured to one or said bus bars being in aliznment, transversely of the bus bars, with the blocks which are secured to the other two bus bars, and means secured to the aligned blocks of the three bus 1 bars for holding them in fixed relation with respect to each other, said last mentioned means comprlsing'a strap secured to two of the alinged insulation blocks and a strap secured to said first mentioned strap and to the third aligned insulation block, said two straps being curved and forming a circumferentially continuous member, the ends of each of said straps being out-turned and secured to the out-turned ends of the companion strap.

l. A three-phase bus bar construction comprising three bus bars, one for each phase, each of said bus bars having; longitudinally extending angularly related fiat portions, the three bars being assembled in V configuration, with one of the angularly related portions of the bus bar of each phase disposed in confronting face to lace relation with one oi the singularly related nortions of the bus has ci e second phase and-with the other related portions of the bus our of each phase in confronting face to lace relotion with. an llfi relamcl portion of the bar of a third oil se, confronting portions being close to but from each other, plurality of rlciii insulation blocks disposed in the space between reloted portions of each of respectively, each of said blocks having; tunnel end thereof provided with circularly portions-in abuti l relation fillmly related; fiat noroiic oi the l l hor in of said eel from each other longitudinally oi the companion bus bar and secured thereto, said blocks extending outwardly from said space beyond the edges of the Com- Damon bus bar and the blocks of the three bus bars being in alignment transversely of the three each phase disposed in confronting lace to since relation with one of the angularly related nortions of the bus her of a second phase and with the other angulerly related portions oi the bus bar of each phase in confronting face in relation with an amularly related portion bus bar of a third phase, said cool-renting pertions being close to but insulated from each o her, a plurality of insulation blocks disposed the space between said circularly related of each of said bus liars, respectively, e blocks having an inner end thereof provided with singularly related surface portions shutting relation to said singularly rel 58o tions of the conillenion hue bar, Fol each oi said spwes being spaced lroni loncitudlnm oi the companion ii A curedl thereto, and means positioned outer edges of the'tiiree liars tion thereto and secured 1 for holding said in a ticu.

HEW

Jill. 

